Walking Independence
by uniuniunicorns
Summary: * I've taken a break on Walking Independence to focus on my first story, Basic Necessity. Thanks for understanding!* The story begins at the CDC with an additional member, Bree. Her independence, intuition and survival skills have helped the group, but her relationship with Daryl and her unruly nature may be too much for some in the group. Maybe she's always been better off alone.
1. Chapter 1

**Please let me know what you think of this! I just came up with this character today, so I'm still working her out, but I like her! Let me know what you guys think. This is all I have so far, so be patient with me :] And don't worry, she'll soften up as the story continues.**

Lori knocked softly on the bathroom door before entering. Bree lay in the tub, bubbles surrounding her, her breasts floating just above the water's surface as she stared at the ceiling.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Bree. Didn't mean to intrude," Lori said, looking away from the younger woman's naked body submerged in steaming water.

Bree blinked, as if she just realized Lori was there. She sat up, water rushing from her blond locks down her chest as she reached for her wine glass sitting on the floor. "It's ok. Not like you haven't seen me at least partially naked before," she said. She motioned for Lori to sit on the closed to toilet. "What's up?"

Lori seemed nervous and anxious as she brushed her long brown hair out of her face. "I was just curious… about what's going on with you and Daryl," she said. "I don't mean to be nosy, but we've all noticed you two together and I was just wondering how you felt," she rushed to add.

Bree took another sip of wine and placed the glass on the rim of the tub before answering. "We've slept together, yeah. But I don't understand what you're asking."

Lori glanced at her hands before responding. "I can tell he likes you and I just don't want to see either of you get hurt."

"We're both adults, Lori. Pretty sure we can do this without having to get involved too much."

"But the thing is, Bree, we've really come to rely on Daryl to keep us safe and help us survive. I'm just worried if you don't return his feelings or you two fall in love that he'll be more worried about the relationship than keeping the group safe." Lori realized once the words spilled out that is was the wrong way to go with the conversation, but it was too late.

Bree sat up straight and leaned forward to stare at the water between her legs. She blew air at her foggy reflection in the soapy water.

"Bree, I'm sorry. That came out wrong," Lori backtracked.

Bree's hazel eyes met Lori's gaze. "The thing is, Lori, I don't really think you have any room to talk on this subject. Everyone else might be completely ignorant to you and Shane's escapades, but I'm not. You don't think I can see the hurt in his eyes every time he looks at you and Rick? I'd be more worried about what's going on in his head and your marriage than what's going on in my tent, Lori."

Lori's mouth opened and closed several times before she responded. "Bree, I don't think that's any of your business."

"But my sex life is yours? I understand that we all rely on each other to survive, but I didn't know that two people having sex would suddenly bring down the entire group. Maybe you should go check on Carl, he's usually somewhere he isn't supposed to be," Bree yelled, pointing with the wine glass she picked up and drained.

Lori's eyebrows wrinkled and she sighed before leaving the bathroom.

"Jesus Christ," Bree mumbled to herself. She dunked her head in the quickly cooling water. As she leaned back to submerge in the water again, another knock rapped on the door. "Please, come in. Let's have the whole group see me naked."

Daryl's head poked through the slightly opened door. "Uh, bad time?"

Bree pointed at him, trying not to smile. "This is all your fault."

Daryl walked in, closing the door behind him. "What's my fault?"

"We sleep together and all the sudden our relationship," Bree raised her hands out of the water to make air quotes around the word relationship, "is going to kill off the entire group."

"The fuck?" Daryl said, sitting on the toilet opposite Bree. "I just passed Lori in the hall and she said some bitchy thing about keeping my dick in my pants."

"Yeah, she is convinced that because we slept together now you won't be able to provide for the group like you're some fucking idiot who can now only think of my vagina." Bree motioned to her crotch with both hands.

"Well…" Daryl glanced down at Bree's breasts and smiled.

"But Lori sleeping with Shane when she thought her husband was dead and then when her husband magically appears just throwing him to the side like he never even existed isn't an issue," Bree added, with hands in the air. "This is fucked."

"She's a bitch. Don't worry about her," Daryl said, leaning off the toilet and kneeling next to the tub. "I'm definitely not going to listen to her instructions to keep my dick in my pants."

Daryl was hovering over her. As he moved closer, he placed one arm in the tub, his face inches from Bree's.

"You better not," Bree said, pulling his face to hers. She ripped his shirt off and pulled him into the tub, splashing water all over the floor. She laughed a real laugh, not those fake ones she lets everyone else hear around the campfire, as he kissed her neck and struggled with Daryl's pants. She was genuinely happy in this moment with Daryl.

She didn't want to admit it to herself, but she did like Daryl. She'd always been an independent person. She'd been around the block a few times and came to find out she was weaker when in a relationship. She was better off on her own and she was fine with that. Yeah, other women and some men judged her, but she was doing what was best for her and that prepared her for this new life of surviving and killing. She had survived long enough on her own to know what she needed, and right now she needed Daryl.


	2. Chapter 2

_The obnoxious ringing of her cell phone woke Bree from a deep sleep. The clock read 4:09 a.m. She grunted and hit ignore. Jake was drunk again. Why did he insist on calling her at all hours of the night?_

_The phone began ringing again. Bree was already losing patience. She had to be up in two hours for work. The last thing she wanted to do was carry on some ignorant conversation with her drunk boyfriend._

_"Hello?" she almost yelled into the phone._

_"Baby, hi. I mish you," he slurred. He was tanked._

_"Hi. I miss you too. But, I'm really tired and have to be up for work soon. I'll talk to you tomorrow, OK?" She was trying so hard to be nice._

_"Wait, I want to talk to you!"_

_"Jake, I have to be up in two hours. You're drunk. Go to bed. I'll talk to you tomorrow."_

_"Why don't you ever want to talk to me? Do you not love me anymore?"_

_"Jesus, Jake. Of course I love you, but you're being ridiculous and I have to be up soon. Goodnight." She hung up and turned off her phone. She knew she wouldn't be getting any sleep if she left it on._

_She woke up two hours later, groggy and grumpy, with 16 missed calls and four voicemails from Jake. She decided to return the favor and called him to wake him up. It went straight to voicemail._

_"Hi, Jake. Thanks so much for those 16 missed calls and four drunken voicemails. You are one of the most needy and inconsiderate people I've ever met. This isn't working. We're done. Go ahead and lose my number," she said after the beep._

Bree walked to the kitchen area of the CDC after her bath. Daryl was already sitting on the counter drinking whiskey. A sly smile played across his lips when she entered. Lori immediately looked away when Bree took a seat next to Shane. Dale offered her a glass of red wine, which she happily accepted.

"Did you enjoy the hot water?" Dale asked.

Daryl snorted when Bree glanced at him. "Yeah. That's definitely something I've missed."

"Well, I think I'm going to check out the library. Come on, Carl," Lori said. She escaped quickly, followed by Rick. Many of the group members trickled to their rooms, leaving Bree, Daryl, Glenn and T-Dog drinking for the first time in who knows how long.

"I don't know if I've ever asked you, what did you do before all this, Bree?" T-Dog asked.

Bree took a gulp of wine before answering. "I was a stripper."

Glenn choked on his drink. "Oh…" T-Dog said.

Bree tried to hold in her laughter, but couldn't. "I'm just fucking with you. I was a high school teacher," she said.

Glenn let out a loud laugh. "Were you seeing anyone?"

"Was I seeing anyone?"

"Yeah."

"I had been single for two days before the outbreak happened. I broke up with him in a voicemail," she said, filling up her cup.

"Are you fuckin' serious? You broke up with a dude in a voicemail?" Daryl asked, hopping off the counter and sitting across from her.

"Yeah. He was unemployed, always getting wasted and waking me at 4 in the morning when I had to work the next day. We fought all the time. He wasn't worth my time," she said. "He was too needy. I couldn't handle it."

"Damn girl, that's harsh," Daryl said.

"I just speak the truth."

"Have you ever been in love?" Glenn asked.

"Why are you asking me all these questions?" she responded.

Glenn shrugged. "I dunno. You just seem like such an independent person. I'm just curious."

Bree smirked. "Independent women can fall in love too."

"So you have been in love?" T-Dog asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Of course. And he broke my heart," she said. "Guess that kinda explains a lot, huh?"

"What do ya mean?" Daryl asked.

"It kinda explains why I don't often let people in," she said. "OK, enough with the personal questions. I'm going to bed." Bree grabbed the half-full bottle of wine and left the kitchen. She sipped from the bottle as she walked to her room.

"Bree!"

Bree sighed, hearing Lori's voice. She turned and waited for Lori to approach her.

"Bree, I wanted to apologize," she began. "Your personal life is none of my business and it was rude of me to speak to you that way."

Bree waited for her to continue.

"I'm just a worrier. I want what's best for everyone, including you."

Bree sighed again. "I do too. I'm a big girl, Lori. I know I look young, but I can take care of myself. The decisions I make are mine to make. I would never do anything to hurt the group. I hope you know that," she said.

"I do. I'm so sorry," Lori said, placing a hand on her shoulder. She hugged her before continuing down the hallway.

Bree rolled her eyes at Lori's back. "Crazy bitch," she mumbled to herself. She let herself into her room and turned on the light. It felt so weird to have electricity again. She placed the bottle of wine on the nightstand and sifted through her backpack looking for a t-shirt to change into for bed when her hands found her iPhone. She pulled it out, smiling to herself. She didn't have the heart to leave it behind once it had finally died. She hoped one day she'd be able to turn it back on and flip through her photos. Then it dawned on her. They had electricity. She could charge it and do just that.

Bree dug through her bag to find the charger and plugged it into the wall. She actually had butterflies in her stomach when she saw the white Apple logo appear. She slowly typed in her passcode and smiled when the screen unlocked, showing a photo of her border collie, Steve. A tear slid down her cheek as she browsed through her music, choosing her favorite band, The Avett Brothers.

Daryl opened the door with a quizzical look on his face. "Music?"

Bree held up her phone as she sat on the floor next to the outlet. "I couldn't get rid of it. Too many memories."

Daryl sat next to her as she flipped through photos. She began explaining who people were, giving him a glimpse into who she really was for the first time. Ever since she had joined the group, she'd been distant. She was friendly, but never divulged a lot about her past. Daryl understood. He never did either.

"So you are a real human being," Daryl said finally.

Bree looked up from the phone. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"No one really knows anything about you. It's just weird to see all these pictures and hear you actually talk about your past."

"Like you talk about your past," she retorted defensively.

"I know, I know. I was just making a comment."

Bree stood. "I don't want this to be weird, but will you stay with me tonight?"

Daryl brushed a hand through his hair. "I dunno, Bree. We wanna keep this casual, don't we?"

Bree turned, walking toward the bathroom. "You're right. Forget it. See you tomorrow."

What was she thinking, asking him to stay with her? She scolded herself for showing so much weakness. When the door clicked closed after Daryl left, she sank to the bathroom floor and began to cry. She couldn't allow herself to become weak in this world. She needed to be strong and independent. She needed to stay alive. Bree punched the wall in front of her and cried harder as blood ran down her hand.


	3. Chapter 3

Bree awoke with soft blankets snuggled under her chin. She stretched and sighed. She couldn't remember the last time she had slept in a bed or slept so soundly. Crying the night before had worn her out so much she slept without a single nightmare, unlike most nights nowadays. Her night terrors were filled with images of her dead roommate reanimating and chasing her throughout their apartment until she finally smashed her head in with a baseball bat. She could never forget her eyes – so cold and foreign.

Bree swung her legs over the side of the bed, listening to Carl and Rick talking as they walked passed her door. She smiled. They were so lucky to have each other. She had no idea where her father was. Her mother was dead years before the outbreak. _Lucky bitch,_ Bree thought. She allowed a weak smile to break her lips. Her mother always hated her sense of humor.

Bree looked down at her injured hand. She flexed it, grimacing at the pain. Her knuckles were bruised and cut from punching the wall. Dried blood cracked as she flexed it over and over again as her thoughts drifted to Daryl. She couldn't shake the feelings she was inadvertently forming for him. She'd always been so good at cutting herself off from emotions, why couldn't she do it now? They had an agreement, for Christ's sake. She didn't want to be that typical woman who said they wouldn't get attached only to express their love a month later. Love was bullshit anyway.

She hopped from bed and trotted to the bathroom in nothing but a t-shirt and underwear. She took a quick shower, but took her time getting ready. She dug her makeup out of the bottom of her backpack and applied it with her sore right hand. Running her fingers through her damp hair, she squatted down to look through the cabinet below the sink. To her surprise, she discovered hair products and other female toiletries. She combed pomade through her waves smiling at the thought of having her naturally wavy hair look somewhat tamed again. She stashed the toiletries in her backpack and dressed in an olive-colored, loose-fitting blouse and khaki shorts. She laced up her boots and slung her backpack over her shoulder. She unplugged her iPhone from the wall, kissing the screen of her dog, and headed out. She ran smack into Daryl as she closed the door.

"Shit, sorry," she said, turning her phone off and stashing it in her bag as they walked down the hall together.

"You done walking down memory lane?" he asked, nodding toward her phone.

"For now."

Daryl looked at her oddly from the corner of his eye. "What the fuck happened to yer hand?" he asked, spotting the bruises.

Bree put her hand behind her back casually. "Oh, it's nothing," she said.

"Bullshit. It looks terrible," he said, stopping to pull her hand out and look at it. He rubbed a thumb over her purple and red knuckles.

Bree yanked her hand out of his. "It's nothing," she spat, walking away from him. He stood in the hall for a moment, before continuing toward the kitchen.

Bree leaned against the sink, nibbling at a plate of eggs. Daryl noticed Andrea ask her about her busted hand and again saw Bree shrug off the injury. He knew she had punched a wall and it had to have been after he left her the night before.

Bree shook her head. She hadn't been paying attention to the conversation, but Dr. Jenner was leading the group to the main computer room. He asked Vi to bring up Test Subject 19 and explained the working and alive human brain. The brain suddenly went dark as the subject took its last breath. Vi jumped to the second event and the brain lit up a bit.

"It restarts the brain?" Lori asked.

"Just the brain stem," Jenner said. "The frontal lobe, where human emotion and memory is, never comes back."

The silhouette of a pistol entered the visual and the test subject is killed. "What was that?" Carol asked.

"You killed your patient," Andrea answered for him.

Bree was unknowingly flexing her right hand. She looked away from the screen and saw Daryl watching her. She looked away quickly, crossing her arms over her chest.

Dale walked in front of Bree, pointing at a digital clock on the wall.

"Dr. Jenner, I know this has been taxing for you, and I hate to ask one more question, but that clock…it's counting down. What happens at zero?"

Everyone's attention shifted to the clock.

"The basement generators…they run out of fuel," Dr. Jenner replied simply.

"…and then?" Rick asked, pacing toward Dr. Jenner.

Dr. Jenner didn't answer.

"Vi, what happens when the power runs out?" Rick asked the computer system.

"When the power runs out, facility wide decontamination will occur," Vi answered. The energy in the room quickly shifted. A group investigated the basement generators as Dr. Jenner sat, drinking solemnly.

Bree sat at the kitchen table and pulled out her phone. Lori and Carl sat next to her.

"You still have that?" Lori asked.

"Yeah. I couldn't bear to get rid of it. I was able to charge it last night, listen to some music and look through my pictures. It was actually really… nice," Bree said, smiling as she turned it on again.

"I'd save the battery if I were you. Dunno when you'll be able to charge it again," Lori said.

"The pictures really calmed me last night. I feel like they'll do the same again," Bree responded, swiping through the photos.

"Is that you and your father?" Lori asked, pointing to a photo of a smiling Bree and an older, balding man on a Ferris wheel.

"Yeah. He made me go on the Ferris wheel with him whenever the carnival came through town. We did that every year since I was really young. That was the first year the carnival came through town after my mom died," Bree explained.

Lori gave a wan smile and glimpsed above Bree's shoulder. Bree looked up to see Daryl leaning over her shoulder looking at the photo.

"You look pretty," he noted. "And happy."

Daryl walked away before she could respond. As she flipped through more photos, the air conditioning turned off.

"…what do you mean it's shutting itself down? How can a building do anything?" she could hear Daryl ask Dr. Jenner in the hallway.

"You'd be surprised," Dr. Jenner responded.

The group that had gone down to the basement met Dr. Jenner at the bottom of the stairs.

"Jenner, what's happening?" Rick asked angrily.

"The system is dropping all the nonessential uses of power. It's designed to keep the computers running to the last possible second. That started as we approached the half hour mark." Dr. Jenner looked at the digital clock. "Right on schedule."

Everyone waited as Dr. Jenner paused in the center of the main room.

"It was the French," he said.

"What?" Andrea asked.

"They were the last ones to hold out as far as I know. While our people were bolting out the doors and committing suicide in the hallways, they stayed in the labs until the end. They thought they were close to a solution."

"What happened?" Jacqui asked.

"The same thing that's happening here. No power grid. Ran out of juice. The world runs off fossil fuel. I mean, how stupid is that?" Dr. Jenner asked.

"Lori, grab our things. Everybody, get your stuff. We're getting out of here now!" Rick shouted.

Daryl and Shane led the group running toward the exit, but the fleeing was interrupted by an alarm.

"Thirty minutes to decontamination," Vi said.

As the group ran toward the exit, the door shut suddenly.

"Did you just lock us in?" Glenn asked, horrified.

Daryl ran at Dr. Jenner, who was seated at a computer. Shane and T-Dog had to pull him off.

"Hey, Jenner, open that door now," Rick demanded, approaching him.

"There's no point. Everything topside is locked down. The emergency exits are sealed."

"Well, open the damn things."

"That's not something I control. The computers do. I told you once that front door closed, it wouldn't open again. You heard me say that," Dr. Jenner pointed at Rick. "It's better this way."

"What is? What happens in 28 minutes?"

Dr. Jenner then explained that the entire lab would be decontaminated.

"It sets the air on fire," he said, almost amazed by the idea.

Shane ran toward Dr. Jenner with a rifle, threatening him to open the door and let them out. Rick intervened, causing the angry Shane to shoot at the computers.

"You have to let us out," Rick yelled as Daryl and T-Dog hit the door with axes.

Tears were streaming down Bree's face as she looked from Dr. Jenner to Rick to the door that wasn't budging under the axe hits. She understood why Dr. Jenner wanted to go this way – it was quick and painless – but he couldn't force this death upon everyone.

Finally, Dr. Jenner lamented. He typed in a code and the doors opened.

"Come on!" Daryl yelled. Bree ran toward the door with the group, not looking back. They grabbed their belongings quickly and ran toward the front doors, trying adamantly to break the windows with axes and chairs. Nothing was working.

"Wait, Rick, I might have something that will help," Carol said as she dug through her purse.

"A nail file won't help," Daryl said sarcastically.

"I found this in your pocket when I cleaned your clothes that first day," Carol said, handing Rick a grenade. Rick looked at the grenade and yelled for everyone to get down.

Bree crouched on the floor next to the wall. She felt someone throw themselves on top of her, but had no time to see who it was. A giant explosion rocked the whole building, sending glass and metal flying all over them. The body on top of Bree stood and pulled her up by her elbow. She turned to find Daryl dragging her to the open window.

Daryl followed the group out the window, turning to help Bree down.

"Run! Get in the cars!" Rick yelled.

Bree jumped into Daryl's truck and they crouched away from the windows when they were shook by a second and much larger explosion. Bree screamed and was shaking in terror. Daryl put his arm over her protectively and she could have sworn he was whispering, "It'll be ok. It's gonna be ok," in her ear.

The two made eye contact before looking at the damage of the CDC. Daryl wiped a tear off Bree's cheek and they poked their heads above the dashboard. The entire building was demolished, but they saw Dale and Andrea walking toward the RV. Bree said a silent prayer for Jacqui and Dr. Jenner as she buckled her seat belt and the group left the desolation behind.


	4. Chapter 4

They made for Fort Benning in hopes they'd find better news than they did at the CDC. They stopped a few miles off the highway to reassess their needs. T-Dog found an abandoned car and siphoned the gas while Rick and Dale checked the map.

"It'd probably be better," Shane said to Daryl.

"Yeah, I hear ya," Daryl said. He climbed in the bed of his truck and began untying his motorcycle.

"Leaving the truck?" Bree asked from behind him.

Daryl turned toward her. "Better with gas."

Bree nodded and headed to the cab of the truck. She pulled out her backpack, along with Daryl's things and set them on the ground. She wiped the sweat off her brow as she stood up. It was a hot Georgia summer. She didn't do well in this weather. She sighed.

"Here," Daryl said, handing her a canteen. She smiled at him appreciatively as the cold canteen touched her hands. She took a long gulp and placed the cool container to her forehead.

"You ain't from around here, are ya?" Daryl asked, watching her every move.

"I'm surprised no one's asked before this," she said, handing back the canteen. "I'm from the Midwest. We have hot summers, but not like this."

"Where at?"

She smiled thinking about home. She hated growing up in a small town, but the thought of it now made her homesick. "Elmwood."

He looked at her quizzically.

"Elmwood, Illinois." She laughed at the look on his face, like she'd just said elephants could fly. "It's a really small town in Central Illinois. The heart of Illinois," she said, whimsically.

"Never heard of it." He spit and grunted as he wheeled his motorcycle off the back of the truck.

"Didn't expect you too."

"Illinois, huh?" He parked the bike and walked toward her, taking a sip from the canteen. He lowered it and swallowed. "What're you doin' here?"

"At a conference for work. I wasn't gonna go, but one of the teachers I worked with got really sick so I took her spot," Bree said.

"Tough luck," he said, grabbing his backpack.

Bree shrugged. "Doubt it's any better there than it is here."

"We're about to head out. You two ready?" Rick asked.

Daryl nodded and walked back to his bike. Bree slung her backpack over her shoulder and walked toward the RV. She was following Andrea up the stairs when Daryl called out. She stepped back, turning toward him.

He nodded at her. "You wanna ride with me?"

She closed the RV door and trotted toward him. She sat on the back of the bike and laced her arms around his waist. "I've never ridden a motorcycle before," she said.

She could tell he was smiling. "I'll be nice," he said, starting the engine and following the parade of cars.

She clung on tightly at first, scared out of her mind. All she kept thinking about was the horror stories she heard on the news about people not wearing helmets and getting in horrific accidents. It took a good half hour before Bree loosened her grip.

"Bout time you calmed down," Daryl said over his shoulder.

She smiled as she leaned back, enjoying the breeze rushing through her hair. She felt Daryl relax too. He wasn't sitting as straight and dropped one hand off the handlebar onto his leg. "Bout time you calmed down," Bree yelled over the engine. She heard him laugh. It felt like hours passed, just rolling through the wind, when the RV slowed in front of them. Cars littered the highway. Daryl drove ahead of the RV, weaving through cars to find a way through.

"This is fuckin' nuts," Bree said, looking at the debris left behind by so many. She gasped and almost jumped out of her skin when she heard a loud noise from the RV.

"Chill out, woman, it's just a belt or something'," Daryl said as he turned off the engine and helped her dismount the motorcycle.

They walked up to Dale and Glenn who were inspecting the RV. Dale was muttering about a radiator belt.

"We can go through the cars, plenty of stuff we might need," Daryl said, picking through the back of a car.

"This is a graveyard," Lori almost whispered. "…I don't know how I feel about this."

Bree was already sifting through a suitcase. Daryl walked by as she held up a yellow sundress.

"What're ya gonna need that for?" he asked over his shoulder.

"To feel pretty." She sifted through the bag farther and laughed. "Here," she said, throwing a black lacy bra at him.

He held the undergarment awkwardly. "You'd look better in that than I would," he said, throwing it back at her.

Bree moved from car to car, lost in thought as she found clothing and necessities. She paused at a baby seat with blood on it. The color drained from her cheeks and she got woozy. She placed a hand on the car to steady herself when she saw Rick in a panic, motioning for everyone to get underneath the cars. Bree quickly dropped to the ground and rolled under the car. She laid face down, looking all around her. She was the farthest from the group and was silently scolding herself for wandering. She heard shuffling coming toward her as she held her breath. Dozens of filthy, partially decomposed and bloody feet ambled by. She'd never seen so many of them together. She choked back tears as she watched the last of the dead walk right past her. She was going to live another day.

Bree looked around her and saw Daryl helping T-Dog to the right of her. As she rolled out from under the car she heard a little girl's scream, freezing her in her tracks.


End file.
